Rob Gronkowski has previously made his admiration for Travis Kelce clear, despite asserting that the Kansas City Chiefs star is no longer the best tight end in the NFL
Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski are regularly cited among the best tight ends in history (Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
NFL legend Rob Gronkowski has reiterated his admiration for Travis Kelce, despite confessing on Fox NFL Sunday that he believes George Kittle is currently the league’s top tight end.
The Kansas City Chiefs veteran faced some criticism after a slow start to the new season, but his status as one of the greatest players in his position in history is already cemented.
Kelce has been part of three Super Bowl-winning teams at Arrowhead Stadium in the past five years. However, this didn’t prevent former New England Patriots stalwart Gronk from claiming that he has lost his top spot this season.
The KC star has achieved 335 yards with a single touchdown during the early weeks of the season, while San Francisco 49ers rival Kittle has managed 503 yards with six touchdowns. These superior stats have led the retired tight end to conclude that Kittle has surpassed Kelce in terms of his standing among his positional peers.
He stated on Fox NFL Sunday: “It’s definitely George Kittle. He’s leading the league in touchdown receptions at the tight end position.”
Nonetheless, Gronkowski reaffirmed his respect for the Chiefs star’s career accomplishments on the Dudes on Dudes podcast recently, addressing comparisons with himself and stating: “You know, it’s really like not a comparison.
“What they ask him to do with the Chiefs-I could not replicate what he’s doing… And if you ask him to do what I was doing with the Patriots, I don’t think he could do it like I was doing.
“I’m gonna run… and I’m gonna use my body to be physical. Tom [Brady] just throws the ball up… I’m bigger, I’ll box him out and just go up and catch the freaking ball.”
Gronkowski had previously praised Kelce on the Ryen Russillo Podcast, saying: “I mean, I believe that Travis Kelce is the best, like, receiving tight end. If you’re talking about a tight end, he’s the best tight end in terms of catching the ball.
NFL great Rob Gronkowski admitted that he did not feel Travis Kelce is the best player in his position in the league currently (Image:
Michael Owens/Getty Images)
“There’s no doubt about it, you can’t even argue. I mean, he’s had seven 1,000-yard seasons in a row. He’s a great red zone target as well and when he’s not out on the field, they’re not the same team.”
Regarding comparisons between himself and Kelce, Gronkowski said: “I would say, look, we were talking about just the way I played the game – old school style – it’s an argument.
“It’s an argument that I don’t want to make the final decision on. It’s an argument on, also, what type of offense you’re in, what type of style you have in the game, how they’re featuring you, what type of system you’re in, what players are around you as well. He’s just had a great career.
“He’s taking it to the top, and he just keeps taking it to another level each year. And he’s in his thirties, too, he’s the same age as me which is incredible, and he’s still going at that speed. So I’ll leave it up to you guys to debate the top tight end out there.”
